Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker (2020) is among the finer biopics of the last decade. Adapted from A’Lelia Bundles’ biography On Her Own Ground, the series features Octavia Spencer in the starring role, and it consists of four episodes in total. The first two were directed by Kasi Lemmons, with DeMane Davis closing out the season’s second half.
Those are a pair of talented filmmakers with numerous credits in movies and TV shows, yet they never seem to get the credit they truly deserve. Also underrated as a series itself, Self Made follows the rise of a hair care pioneer, Madam C.J. Walker.
Through her original products, Madam C.J. Walker landed a spot in the history books as the first African American female to become a self-made millionaire. Her story had previously fallen by the wayside before this lesser-known miniseries, but Kasi Lemmons, DeMane Davis, and Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer shine important light on her record-breaking accomplishments.
Considered to be one of her generation’s most accomplished performers in general, Spencer won Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards thanks to her efforts on The Help (2011). She received two more nominations in that same category, amassing a fairly impressive filmography re: feature-length films.
Her work on television has been rather overshadowed in comparison. Spencer has appeared in masterful shows, including The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman (2006-2007), Ugly Betty (2006-2010), and Truth Be Told (2019-2023) before appearing in the miniseries at hand.
While she had already made a name for herself as an Academy Award legend, Self Made marked the first time that Spencer had been in contention for a Primetime Emmy Award.
She came up short, but at the NAACP Image Awards, the performer did reign victorious for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Miniseries, or Dramatic Special, and as a whole, the series came out on top for Outstanding Television Movie, Miniseries, or Dramatic Special.
Adding tremendous value to Self Made in general, Spencer provides one of her greatest all-time performances as the business mogul. In tandem with Spencer, Tiffany Haddish, Carmen Ejogo, and Blair Underwood starred in the series. Underwood was also victorious at the Image Awards.
On top of giving a platform to the legacy of Walker, the series offers protrayals of other historical figures like Booker T. Washington, his wife, Margaret Murray Washington, and civil rights activist W.E.B. DuBois. That's quite the list of legends, and each of those names are portrayed by seriously talented actors.
Roger Guenveur Smith stars as Washington, while Tiffany Haddish shows up as A’Lelia Walker. There’s also Carmen Ejogo and Kevin Carroll as Addie Malone and Freeman Ransom, with all of these actors performing to perfection in the unsung Netflix miniseries.
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